June Stargazing: Top Celestial Highlights

June brings the shortest nights of the year, but also some of the most peaceful stargazing opportunities. With milder temperatures and the promise of summer skies, it's a great time to sit back and soak in the beauty of the heavens. While true darkness is brief, there's still plenty to spot, from planets and full moons to sparkling summer constellations.

The Strawberry Moon

June’s full moon, known as the Strawberry Moon, will rise on June 21. The name comes from Native American traditions marking the strawberry harvest. This moon also coincides with the Summer Solstice (June 20), creating a beautiful pairing of celestial events.

Expect a glowing, golden moon low on the horizon during moonrise. It’s the lowest full moon of the year, which makes it appear larger and more orange than usual, a perfect opportunity for dramatic photography.

Summer Solstice & Shortest Night

The Summer Solstice on June 20 marks the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. True stargazing windows may be brief, especially in the UK, but the late twilight can be perfect for spotting bright stars, planets, and noctilucent clouds, ethereal, high-altitude clouds that shimmer just after sunset or before sunrise.

Planets to Watch

June features a few early morning planetary gems:

• Saturn continues to rise earlier, becoming visible in the southeast before dawn. Look for it in the constellation Aquarius.

• Mars is still present in the early morning hours, slowly rising higher each week.

• Jupiter returns to the pre-dawn sky late in the month, becoming easier to spot toward the east before sunrise.

• Venus remains hidden in the sun’s glare for now, but it will reappear later this summer.

Constellations of the Season

As summer begins, familiar constellations dominate the sky:

• Lyra rises in the east, home to the bright star Vega.

• Cygnus, the Swan, and Aquila, the Eagle, begin to form the Summer Triangle with Lyra, an iconic feature of summer skies.

• Hercules remains high and visible, offering a prime viewing target for deep sky enthusiasts.

The Milky Way Returns

By the end of June, the Milky Way makes a welcome return to the early morning sky. Head somewhere dark and look southeast between 1–3am for your best chance to see its soft glow stretching across the sky. The galactic core near Sagittarius and Scorpius becomes increasingly visible, ushering in the richest stargazing season of the year.

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June Stargazing Challenge: Find the Ring Nebula (M57)!

This month's challenge is to locate M57, the famous Ring Nebula in the constellation Lyra.

How to Find It:

• First, locate Vega, the bright star in Lyra, high in the eastern sky after midnight.

• Find the parallelogram-shaped stars that make up Lyra.

• M57 lies between the two stars at the end of the parallelogram: Beta and Gamma Lyrae.

Top Tips:

• A telescope will show the nebula as a small, smoky ring.

• In very dark skies, larger binoculars may hint at its fuzzy presence—challenging, but rewarding!

Bonus Challenge: Try to spot noctilucent clouds, these rare, shimmering clouds often appear in late June, low in the northern sky around 90 minutes after sunset. They’re best seen from mid-latitudes like the UK and offer a stunning, surreal view against the twilight.

Clear skies and calm nights - June might not be the darkest month, but it offers stargazers a truly magical atmosphere to connect with the cosmos.